1883.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
377 
kitchen. Place the barrel near the kitchen window 
and level with it on a box or other support. Insert 
a faucet in the lower part of the barrel, so that it 
can be easily reached from the open kitchen win¬ 
dow. Have it so that the pail can be filled while, it 
stands on the window-sill. It would be still more 
convenient, if the faucet could be inside the house, 
connecting with the barrel by a piece of gas-pipe. 
E. E. R. 
Panels for Home Decoration. 
The modern style of decorative panels allows 
those who can not afford costly pictures, to pro¬ 
duce a pleasing, cheerful effect in their rooms, at a 
moderate outlay. The panels are used to break up 
the bare spaces between windows and in other 
parts of the room, and the size may be proportion¬ 
ed to the space they are to occupy. The material 
is usually well-seasoned wood, and for some pur¬ 
poses, heavy bookbinder’s board, or very stiff paste¬ 
board, may be employed. These are first painted 
with two or more coats of some warm gray or other 
neutral tint, mixed with much turpentine, so that, 
when dry, they will present a dead surface without 
any gloss. The decoration of the panel is usually 
a vine, or a branch, which will allow of the intro¬ 
duction of bright colors for the flowers and pleas¬ 
ing tints of green and brown for the foliage and 
stems. Bright-colored insects may also be intro¬ 
duced. The engravings, from panels that have 
been executed, will give hints as to this kind of 
decoration, which is of course only possible for 
those who have some skill in the use of the brash. 
The edges may be finished by neat lines of some 
dark color. Another method is, to decorate the 
panels with real objects. A cluster of nicely dried 
grasses, a group of graceful ferns, or a tasteful ar¬ 
rangement of brilliant autumn leaves, may be made 
very effective. We have seen pleasing panels, in 
which birds, made up by gumming real feathers to 
a card-board form, were introduced, with a branch 
upon which they were resting, painted in. Lichens, 
mosses, cones, and other handsome objects may be 
used to decorate pauels with very pleasing results. 
Camping Out. 
Those who can afford it, take their summer vaca¬ 
tion at the sea-shore or at some mountain resort. 
The object in selecting a locality, aside from those 
who are governed by fashion, being to find a place 
with surroundings as much unlike those at home 
as possible. But those who most need the summer 
visit to sea-shore and mountain side, the farmers’ 
and mechanics’ hard-worked wives and families, 
can rarely afford the outlay required. A week at 
any of these public resorts involves an expenditure 
that is beyoud the means of the majority. After 
all, the real object of summer vacations is, change 
—a change of scene, a relief from the daily routine 
of household duties, a freedom, for the time, from 
care, and ofteD a marked difference (sometimes for 
the worse) in the food. Besides these objects, there 
maybe added the meeting with new people, and see¬ 
ing new ways, which may or may not be desirable. 
All these results, save the last, can he had without 
expense, by a week or two in camp. A neighbor¬ 
hood must be poor, indeed, if it does not, some¬ 
where within a few miles, afford a pleasant spot for 
a camp. It may he by the side of a lake or a river, 
where fishing can he enjoyed; a hill-side or a 
mountain top may afford a pleasant place. A de¬ 
sirable spot can usually be found not far from 
home—indeed, we know of one farmer who does 
not go beyond the boundaries of his own estate to 
find a pleasant camping ground. If tents are not 
at hand, wagon covers, barn-sheets, tarpaulins, or 
whatever will form a shelter from the dew and rain, 
may be pressed into the service. The chief point 
is to provide an abundance of bedding ; buffalo 
robes and comforters, and a plenty of blankets, are 
usually sufficient, though some may need ticks 
filled with straw. In starting out for camp, do not 
take too many things. One of the useful lessons 
of camp-life is, to show how little one can get aloEg 
with. The most important part of the outfit is, an 
abundant supply of good nature ; a disposition to 
make the best of everything, to overcome difficul¬ 
ties, and be always cheerful. A grumbler is an un¬ 
pleasant companion anywhere, but iu camp he is a 
nuisance. In warm weather, the camp-fire should 
be at a good distance from the sleeping tents, and 
precautions taken that no spreading of the fire can 
occur. It is well to leave nearly all of the crockery 
at home, and provide a supply of tin plates, tiu 
cups, and cheap knives and forks. Prepare in ad¬ 
vance sufficient food to serve for the first two or 
three days, and then be governed by circumstances. 
If the locality furnishes fish or game, the procur¬ 
ing of these will afford sport for the men and boys, 
hut it is not safe to depend upon these, and there 
should be in reserve a ham, a supply of the standard 
eamp-food, salt pork, which, with an abundance of 
potatoes, hard-tack, dried apples, and coffee, will 
keep the table well furnished. Have meals at 
stated hours, let each one in his or her way help in 
preparing them, and—what is still more important 
•—help in clearing away and washing dishes. Keep 
the surroundings of the camp in good order. Have 
a pit in a convenient place for scraps and slops, and 
provide other conveniences in a sheltered place at 
a proper distance. If guns are taken into camp, 
let it he the business of some one to provide a 
proper place for them beyond the reach of chil¬ 
dren, and where no accident can occur. See that 
the guns are always kept there when not in use. 
Reduce the work to the smallest possible amount, 
so that the greater part of the day may he spent in 
rest—in “ leisure,” in the best meaning of the term. 
Be sure and provide an abundance of reading mat¬ 
ter. Any hard-worked family will return from a 
fortnight’s vacation, or a longer one, of this kind, 
better fitted to take up the home routine, and per¬ 
haps be more appreciative of home comforts. 
Make Your Own Hammock. 
A pretty and very comfortable hammock can be 
made of awning cloth. Two pieces, six feet long 
and a little over a yard wide, are cut for the body 
of the hammock ; and two strips, five inches wide, 
to go along the sides. These are scalloped and 
bound with worsted braid,'and the strips basted in 
place between the two large pieces. The side 
seams are sewed up on the wrong side. After being 
turned right side out, the two ends are bound with 
braid. Eight curtain rings are put on each end, 
A HOME-MADE HAMMOCK. 
aud to each ring is fastened a heavy hammock cord. 
These cords are all joined to a large iron ring. 
To hang the hammock, a light rope is passed 
through the rings and around two trees or posts. It 
will be more comfortable, if the head is hung 
some inches higher than the foot. Mrs. Busyhand. 
A Gourd Scrap-Basket. 
Large sugar-trough gourds can be made into a 
number of pretty and useful articles, among which 
is the scrap-basket, shown in the illustration. To 
make such a basket, select the largest gourd possi¬ 
ble, cut off the top, remove the seeds, and scrape 
and sand-paper the inside surface until it is per¬ 
fectly smooth. Cut down the smaller piece to the 
proper size, and glue it to the lower part of the 
larger one, which forms the basket. The gourds 
are often a little irregular in shape, and the best 
decoration for them is a pattern similar to the one 
given, which is an imitation of the designs on the 
earthen jars made by the Indians of New Mexico 
and Arizona. The pattern is put on with common 
A GOURD SCRAP BASKET. 
paint and a small brush. It may first he traced 
vtdth a pencil. Red, black, or dark-brown paint 
should be used, or the pattern may be done in two 
colors, black and red, or brown and red. The bas¬ 
kets will he very useful for a variety of purposes, 
but are particularly intended for setting by the 
table, to hold papers and magazines, or to receive 
waste papers and scraps. The gourds can also be 
made into very pretty work-baskets by providing 
them with a lining. From the smaller sizes, hand¬ 
some covers for flower pots can he made, painted 
in some pretty patterns, ornamented with scrap¬ 
book pictures, or iu any other tasteful manner. 
